For patients in South Africa

Women’s sexual health in Turkey from South Africa: a plain guide

Problems with sexual health are common and often have a medical cause: hormonal change after childbirth or at the menopause, pelvic floor problems, endometriosis, or conditions such as diabetes and thyroid disease. Stress, anxiety and relationship strain play a part too. This page explains how women’s sexual health is assessed and treated in İzmir, and what South African patients should plan for. It sits within our women’s health and gynaecology guide.

Common concerns

• Low desire: often linked to hormonal change, tiredness, stress, medication or mental health, and usually has more than one cause
• Vaginal dryness: commonly due to lower oestrogen at the menopause or while breastfeeding, or to some medical treatments
• Pain during intercourse: may come from thinning of the vaginal tissue, pelvic floor tension, infection, endometriosis or birth injury
• Arousal and orgasm difficulties: hormones, blood flow, nerve sensitivity and anxiety can all play a part
• Pelvic floor problems: weakness or over-tightness, often after childbirth, which can affect comfort, sensation and bladder control

How the assessment works

A specialist takes a detailed medical, gynaecological and sexual history, carries out a pelvic examination, and adds hormone blood tests or an ultrasound only when they are needed. Psychological and lifestyle factors are part of the conversation, because they often matter as much as the physical findings. Everything is confidential.

Send your history and any recent results before you travel. If the likely answer is a test or medication that your own doctor can arrange, we will say so: a consultation alone rarely justifies the trip from South Africa unless it is part of planned treatment.

Treatments and guides

Treatment is chosen for the cause, not the symptom. The original overview is on our women’s sexual health page. South African guides for related treatments:

• Sexual pain treatment — finding and treating the cause of painful intercourse
• Female hormone check — blood tests for hormonal causes of symptoms
• Vaginoplasty — tightening of the vaginal canal and muscles
• Labiaplasty — reduction or reshaping of the inner labia
• Hoodectomy — reduction of excess clitoral hood skin
• Perineal repair — repair of the perineum, often after childbirth
• Endometriosis surgery — when endometriosis causes pain, including during sex
• Fibroid removal — for fibroids causing pain, pressure or heavy bleeding
• Ovarian cyst removal — for cysts that need to come out
• Hysterectomy — removal of the uterus when other options have failed
• Female fertility test — checks before planning a pregnancy

Planning the trip from South Africa

• Flights: direct flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Istanbul take around ten hours, followed by a short domestic flight to İzmir
• Visa: South Africans apply for an e-Visa online before travelling
• Time difference: İzmir is one hour ahead of South Africa, so video follow-ups fit easily into a working day
• Follow-up: medical treatment and psychological support take weeks to months to work, so plan who will follow you up at home and keep your GP informed
• Cover: South African medical schemes generally do not cover elective treatment abroad, so ask your scheme in writing before you book; standard travel insurance usually excludes planned treatment abroad

Follow-up and guarantee

After you return, follow-up continues by message and video call with the treating team. Surgical treatments are covered by our treatment guarantee for one year from the date of treatment. It covers medical complications arising from the treatment and any revision the treating team judges clinically necessary; that treatment is carried out in İzmir at no charge, while flights and accommodation remain your own responsibility. It is not a promise of a particular result. Facts about the clinic and surgeons are on the clinic facts page, and if something goes wrong you can use our complaints process.

What we will not do

We will not recommend surgery for a problem that has a simpler answer, we will not promise a result, and we will not treat without a proper assessment. If psychological support is likely to help most, we will say so.

Frequently asked questions

Is reduced sexual desire a medical problem?

Desire naturally varies, but a lasting change is worth having checked, because hormones, medication, stress and other health conditions can all play a part.

Can the menopause affect sexual health?

Yes. Lower hormone levels can reduce desire and natural lubrication and make intercourse uncomfortable. These changes can usually be assessed and treated.

Is the consultation confidential?

Yes. Medical confidentiality applies to every consultation and to the records you send us.

Do I need surgery?

Often not. Many women improve with non-surgical treatment. Surgery is considered only for a specific physical problem that the specialist has confirmed.

How long does treatment take to work?

It depends on the cause and the treatment, and can range from weeks to months. That is why follow-up from home needs to be planned before you travel.

Start with a free online consultation. Planning the trip? Read the guide for South African patients and the e-Visa guide.